Personal Chef To Go's Official Blog

November 2012

11/29/2012

When winter days are cold, and you want to warm up fast, a bowl of cream soup or stew can
certainly be appealing. But there is no excuse to throw all your healthy eating habits out the window just because it's dark and cold outside!

Eat high-quality carbsListen to your cravings - there is a reason for them! In the winter, with fewer sunny hours, your stored serotonin (the "feel-good" brain chemical) starts to decline. Your cravings for carbohydrate-loaded comfort foods are your body's cries for more serotonin. But be careful when choosing carbohydrates to boost serotonin! Opt for nutritious whole grains and choose high-quality carbs such as sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and squashes.

Love seasonal produceWinter produce may not be as exciting and colorful as summer berries, but there are still many healthy choices available. Work seasonal produce such as pomegranates, cranberries, citrus fruits, purple grapes, and orange root vegetables into your meals. You'll not only add color to your plate, you'll pack in some serious nutrition punch.

Consider Vitamin D supplementsIf you live in the northern hemisphere or wear sunscreen all the time, consider taking Vitamin D supplements. Numerous studies have shown that oral intake of 1000 IU Vitamin D can reduce the risk of colon, breast, and ovarian cancers by as much as 50 percent. Vitamin D can be found in fortified dairy products, fatty fish, and egg yolks. But reaching the recommended level through food alone is rather difficult. Therefore, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends that all adults take Vitamin D supplements every day during the fall and winter seasons. Be sure to speak to your doctor before starting any supplementation.

Nourish your coldDespite numerous claims you may have heard, no diet remedy or supplement has scientifically proved effective at preventing cold and flu. However, studies have shown that 1,000 mg of Vitamin C supplements may make your cold milder and shorten it by half a day. In addition, there's a promising perk for yogurt lovers! A German study found that probiotics (as found in yogurt with active culture) may shorten your cold episode by almost two days. So keep on eating those "friendly" bugs!

11/21/2012

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart

Many of us have daily practices and rituals to offer our thanks and gratitude whether it's two minutes or ten. We thank our friends and loved ones, for all they do for us. We thank strangers who’ve shown us little acts of kindness. We thank God, for the life he’s given us. We thank people around the world for the things they’ve done to make it a better place. We also try to thank ourselves, for things that we’ve done (it’s important to recognize your own accomplishments).

What do we at Personal Chef To Go we give thanks for? It varies every day. We thank all of you for support you give us; for the all the talk and good you say about Personal Chef To Go, for the constructive criticism you give us that has made our service to you better, for the time you give us by just reading this newsletter or visiting our blog when you have the chance and liking us on Facebook or re-tweeting on Twitter.

The thing is, simple acts of gratitude don’t cost you much but they can make a huge imapct on our lives.

Why should that be? Why should the simple act of thinking about who and what we're grateful for make such a big difference in our lives? Here are just a few reasons:

Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they’re loved ones or just a stranger you met who was kind to you in some ways.

Because it turns bad things into good things. Having problems at work? Be grateful you have work. Be grateful you have challenges, and that life isn’t boring. Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges. Be thankful they make you a stronger person.

Because it reminds you of what’s important. It’s hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that your children are alive and healthy. It’s hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is a roof over your head.

Because it reminds you to thank others. I’ll talk about this more below, but the simple act of saying “thank you” to someone can make a big difference in that person’s life. Calling them, emailing them, stopping by to say thank you … just taking that minute out of your life to tell them why you are grateful toward them is important to them. People like being appreciated for who they are and what they do. It costs you little, but makes someone else happy. And making someone else happy will make you happy.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know somethingFor it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitationsBecause they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challengeBecause it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakesThey will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and wearyBecause it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who arealso thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.Find a way to be thankful for your troublesand they can become your blessings.

Did you know you can spend more time with family and less time in the kitchen this holiday season with our chef-prepared, fresh, and never frozen, favorites that are sure to please everyone at your table?

Perfect for the Holidays, why not make it simple and easy with a gift card? To celebrate, Personal Chef To Go is offering you 20% off on your next gift card purchase when you spend a minimum of $50 from now until the New Year! Choose from either an E-card or a Mailed Gift Card, enter "Take20" at checkout and place your order now!

Here's how it works: An average meal plan with shipping comes to about $140.00. Simply order a $50 or more Gift or E-card, enter "Take 20" at checkout, and we'll automatically deduct 20% from each $50 increment until December 31, 2012! The added value will be applied to the gift card AFTER the paid gift or e-card order is received, and not at the time of checkout. We'll send a confirmation of the new gift card amount via email to you and your recipient once the order is received and processed.

11/15/2012

Did you know you can spend more time with family and less
time in the kitchen this holiday season with our chef-prepared, fresh, and
never frozen, holiday favorites that are sure to please everyone at your table?

As the Holidays begin,
our thoughts turn to family, friends, yummy food and wonderful fall activities.
It’s a great time of year but, sometimes, all that holiday fun can tire us out
and make cooking seem like an unbearable chore.

Let our chefs pamper you, your family, friends
or colleagues with a delicious heart-healthy menu Perfect for the Holidays or
just to say "I care enough to send the gift of heart-warming meals".
We make it simple with a gift card. Choose from either an E-card or
a Mailed Gift Card and place your order now!

11/08/2012

Personal
Chef To Go is at your service to make your holiday season magnificent and
memorable for your family and guests.

Release
yourself from a little holiday stress the night before Thanksgiving, while
treating your family, guests and yourself, to some delicious food from Personal
Chef to Go! So skip the pizza delivery
on Wednesday, or a crowded restaurant, and enjoy some delicious and nutritious
meals at home instead.

Look
over our web site and we will be pleased to discuss your
needs and assist you in ordering the perfect meal plan for your holiday needs.
Your order will be delivered fresh to your door the week of Thanksgiving. Enter code “Stress Free” at check out and
save 10% !

Orders
must be received by Monday, November 12th, to ensure delivery
Thanksgiving week.

Ten Step Thanksgiving Sanity Plan

Clear out your fridge. You’re going to be filling it
up again, so now is a good time to eat the best leftovers and toss the rest.

Start thawing your turkey: The safest place to do
this is in the fridge—aren’t you glad you’ve already cleared it out?

Make your pie crusts. Roll them out and freeze them
flat between sheets of parchment paper in resalable plastic bags until needed.
They’ll defrost quickly.

Check your recipes. Make sure you have all the
ingredients and equipment needed. Make a list of what you still need.

Go shopping.
Get as much as you possibly can now.

Stock up on wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks—and
make sure you have plenty of ice.

Do as much prep work as you can: Make
salad dressings; chop onions, celery and store in resalable plastic bags
in the fridge; top and tail green beans; make stock for gravy with
turkey wings.

Make the cranberry sauce. Hint: The recipe on the
back of the bag is great. Just add a pinch of salt to bring out the
cranberries’ full tangy flavour. A splash of port isn’t too bad, either.

have
guests who are bringing food, call them now and find out exactly what they’re
bringing, whether they’ll need counter space and tools to finish prepping, and
how much oven time their dish requires.

Don’t
fight the crowds on the night before your big event; treat your family, guests,
and yourself, to one of our delicious, nutritious meals.